Explore the past, understand the present, and inspire the future.

Image title: Monumental vase Medium: Russian malachite, composite filling material; gilt-bronze mounts; bronze pedestal Date: lapidary work: early 19th century; pedestal and mounts: 1819 Source: The Met Collection   “ The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art. ” — John Lasseter The Sculpted State: Monumental Art and the Politics of Power   Introduction: Stone as Sovereign Language From towering pharaohs to steely-eyed revolutionaries carved in marble, monumental sculptures have long served Read more…

Image title: The Head of the Virgin in Three-Quarter View Facing Right Medium: Black chalk, charcoal, and red chalk, with some traces of white chalk (?); some remains of framing lines in pen and brown ink at upper right (not by Leonardo) Date: 1510–13 Source: The Met Collection   “ Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ” — Henry Ward Beecher ‘Drawing is Thinking’: Read more…

Image title: Paris Medium: Bronze, partially fire-gilt, silver inlay Date: ca. 1518–1524 Source: The Met Collection   “ The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while. ” — Albert Einstein The Bronze Dilemma: Why Ancient Sculptures Rarely Survive   The Lustrous Beginning: Bronze in Ancient Art Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, marked one of the earliest technological revolutions in human history. Its Read more…

Image title: The Jabach Family Medium: Oil on canvas Date: ca. 1660 Source: The Met Collection   “ It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. ” — Tony Robbins The Celestial Brush: How Astronomy Shaped Sacred Indian Miniatures   Introduction: A Universe on Canvas In the rich continuum of Indian visual culture, the miniature paintings from the Mughal and Rajput courts captivate with their vivid colors, intricate detail, and narrative Read more…

Image title: The Musicians Medium: Oil on canvas Date: 1597 Source: The Met Collection   “ The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. ” — Thomas Paine ‘Oil is My Weapon’: Caravaggio’s Guerrilla Realism Explained   Introduction: The Rebel with a Palette Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio wasn’t merely a revolutionary painter—he was a visual agitator who wielded oil paint like a weapon. In an era Read more…

Image title: Portal from the Church of San Leonardo al Frigido Medium: Marble (Carrara marble) Date: ca. 1175 Source: The Met Collection   “ The secret of getting ahead is getting started. ” — Mark Twain Melted Stone: The Secret History of Softness in Sculpture   Introduction: When Stone Breathes To sculpt is to take what is solid and transform it into something seemingly malleable, alive. For millennia, artists have worked with stone, bronze, marble, Read more…